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DEL.ICIO.USStudent answers ‘call of duty’
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Ed Youngblood had students sit in circles so they could talk about the literature assignment from the previous night.
And every Friday he had them write an in-class essay — practice for the AP English exam.
Marcus Nathaniel Spencer, a 2004 graduate of South Gwinnett High, remembers it well. The intellectual banter. Being pushed by a demanding, engaging teacher. Youngblood, he says, was good. The best instructor he’s ever had.
As soon as Spencer of Snellville heard about Youngblood’s resignation under pressure, Spencer got involved. He talked to friends and asked them to join him in reversing what he considers an atrocity.
“Getting involved in this was just instinct, a call of duty,” Spencer told me via e-mail. “I’m in support of my friend, but I am also acting as a member of the community. Removing Mr. Youngblood is depriving these students of, in all likelihood, their best teacher and their best preparation for college. It is a disservice to them as well as Mr. Youngblood himself.”
Spencer knows the facts:
That Youngblood showed “Elizabeth,” a movie with violence and sexuality, to students in his British literature class. That a parent complained and the matter was investigated by school district administrators. That Youngblood, a veteran educator with 37 years of experience, showed the movie without getting it approved by a board of parents, teachers and students.
But Spencer doesn’t think the punishment fit the crime. He’d prefer that school administrators give Youngblood another chance in the form of a written reprimand — anything but force him out.
He’s fighting on behalf of Youngblood because he cares, not because the teacher asked him to.
“Ed Youngblood never once asked anyone to stand up and help him,” Spencer wrote in the Badie Blog (ajc.com /gwinnett). “Not once. I, we, requested his permission to stand up for what we feel is right. He granted it mainly because he feels it is our job to do what we feel is right.”
You have to admire the young man’s spunk and spirit. It’s not everyday you see people — especially teenagers — carry the mantle for something they care about.
Truth be told, Spencer has a minute chance of getting the Gwinnett County school board to revisit the issue. They’re bullheaded when they’re wrong, so imagine their stubbornness when they’re right. The school board has historically been unaffected by its occasional controversial ruling or even the overcrowding of schools. But Gwinnett is changing in so many ways. You wonder how long the school board can remain immune, particularly if it continues to be tone deaf to criticism or change.
Even Spencer admits this is a long shot. He still plans to attend the school board’s regular meeting Dec. 8, armed with signatures from folk who think Youngblood got a raw deal.
“What reaction do I expect? Refusal or amusement,” he said.
Spencer is an astronomy major at Georgia State University. He enjoys reading, sports and history. He’s taking a break from school this semester for personal time and to save money. Good thing he did.
“I wouldn’t be able to be so active in this ‘resistance’ if I hadn’t taken off,” he said.
Spencer doesn’t know where this resistance will lead him. He’s never had any plans to become politically active.
Stranger things have happened.
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Comments
Commenting is now closed for this entry.
By jim dumond
November 28, 2005 08:17 PM | Link to this
Indeed! —- Its young people like this that give me hope for the future.
By Michael H. Smith
November 28, 2005 08:25 PM | Link to this
Rick Badie on the B.o.E. – “They’re bullheaded when they’re wrong, so imagine their stubbornness when they’re right.�
If truth has ever been spoken, it has been told tonight.
Check out Mr. Dumond’s letter to the editor.[http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/gwinnett/1105/27gwinletts.html]
You wonder how long the school board can remain immune?
Hunch says, not long.
By Patricia Johnston
November 29, 2005 12:26 AM | Link to this
The dismissal of Ed Youngblood is indeed an atrocity, and I am another one of many who will attest that he is the only teacher who truly succeeded in preparing me for college. I graduated from South Gwinnett in 2003 and earned a perfect score on the AP exam under the tutelage of Mr. Youngblood. And as a side note, I was homeschooled when Elizabeth came out in theatres and my mother, also a veteran English teacher, took me to see the film at the age of 13 as part of my curriculum.
By Rick Badie
November 29, 2005 09:38 AM | Link to this
Hi there. Hope you all had the chance to read today’s column on Marcus Spencer. I’m curious: How do you all think the School Board will respond to Mr. Spencer when he takes the podium?
By jim dumond
November 29, 2005 11:05 AM | Link to this
Well Rick let’s see. After several years of observation, here’s about how I predict it will go down.
Dan Seckinger will set there in silence fiddling with his pad and pencil.
Bob McClure will be looking over the top rim of his glasses, giving the appearance of interest in what the young man is saying.
Mary K. will set there smiling and thank the young man for his participation.
Louise, well who knows? I can’t ever get beyond the hair.
I don’t know Mrs. Boyce well enough to comment on her reaction, but can almost assure you they will all refer any question to Mr. Wilbanks, who will admonish the young man and attempt to break the whole thing off by rudely telling him it’s a personnel issue and he refuses to discuss these matters.
And that about sums it up.
In short I suspect they’ll treat him in the same manner they treat any of the constituents.
By jim dumond
November 29, 2005 11:12 AM | Link to this
Oh, Rick, I forgot to mention that several of the board members will take credit for this young man being so well educated.
By Bruce Wilcox
November 29, 2005 11:25 AM | Link to this
They’ll act interested and delay all action until they can have an Executive Session removed from the public eye and input. Hopefully the Board feels that with the holidays upon us people will lose interest and the status-quo can be maintained.
I noticed on the Boards web-site that the majority of the rules and regulations deal more with protecting the board instead of the students and teachers. To me, at least, it seems a little backward.
For Marcus Spencer to stand-up for Mr. Youngblood, as well as many others have, shows how much a teacher who challenges students to actually THINK is needed in our school system. Do we as a community want a school system that churns out sheep who obey all the rules without question or support teachers like Mr. Youngblood who may bend the rules to produce leaders like Marcus Spencer?
I doubt that the Board after delays and closed sessions will change anything, it will be up to all of us next election day to make the changes.
By jim dumond
November 29, 2005 11:34 AM | Link to this
Bruce, hate to disagree but————-The Board MUST provide a public appearance of support for Alvin. As far as they are concerned its a dead issue. they won’t even give it a second thought let alone bring it back up in either a public or closed meeting.
By Bruce Wilcox
November 29, 2005 11:55 AM | Link to this
You’re probably right Jim but I was trying to be an optimist. An aside…I noticed the one Board member who has been around since 1973 also has the majority of lowest performing schools, you would think that the community would have picked up on that fact by now?
By jim dumond
November 29, 2005 01:16 PM | Link to this
Oh, they know. Human nature is just to resist change. So as long as she runs she’ll be re-elected. Getting people to punch that button is all about name recognition, my friend.
By Marcus Spencer
November 29, 2005 03:20 PM | Link to this
Well, unlickily for the board it is not just me speaking. They are going to be others. We have time on the agenda. They will try their little power play to hush is up…but unfortunately for them we understand the meaning of government, and that they can’t really limit our speaking time to 2 minutes. We want the house packed…so be there people.
By Patricia Johnston
November 29, 2005 03:31 PM | Link to this
I feel that if Mr. Spencer can garner a large enough crowd the Board will have to take notice of the issue. At this point he is hoping to have over 100 people show up, and when a group of people that large attend a boring governmental meeting it means that some action must be taken. Perhaps I don’t know what I’m talking about but I will find out for sure when I arrive at the meeting myself with a carload of supporters.
By MJK
November 29, 2005 04:20 PM | Link to this
Rick, Great follow-up article on Ed Youngblood and Marcus Spencer.
Marcus - I’m hopeful that you’ll present a cogent argument when you speak to the Board on the 8th. If I were able to be in town I would have liked to be there to show my support. Like Rick as well as others that have posted here, I fear you may be “pushing a rope” when you speak before the School Board but I believe you are doing the right thing in challenging them.
Given that I have 2 children ages 7 and 11 in the public school system, I consider what you are doing to be a personal favor.
Thanks, MJK
By jim dumond
November 29, 2005 04:30 PM | Link to this
Sorry Patricia, but i’ve seen as many as 600 people pack the building with little or no impact. Thats just the hard cold truth.
By Michael H. Smith
November 29, 2005 06:27 PM | Link to this
How will they react? The B.o.E. will simply blow this thing off.
Now Rick, how do you think the voters will react in ’06?
A big heap is piling up on this B.o.E. crowd, apart from teacher firings. Land bought in private meetings in violation of state law, disabled children are considered an albatross (like the 14th amendment doesn’t exist), school located next to a toxic garbage dump, reports faulty and filed late….
They who make the rules should live by the rules also. Else it’s time for voters to fire them, one and all.
By Michael C. Springer
November 29, 2005 08:05 PM | Link to this
I have been very active in politics the past 2 years (campaigning for 5 people) and have come to learn the ins and outs of campaigning quite well. I will do everything in my power and ability to rid those board members of their seat who think this is not important or who are too foolish and irresponsible to make decisions for themselves. This is an exact email sent to me by Louise Radloff. I think it speaks for itself.
“Personnel issues are directed by clear policy and after the years of service Mr. Youngblood clearly knew the correct process for showing film. I am pleased to see students stand up for an issue they believe strongly in but I am sorry at this time I am following the lead of the representative from that area and the H.R.’s recommendation and will not take a different position - Louise Radloff”
Now can someone let me in on why a BOARD member can not make his or her own decisions? And why (when I called) would she have told me that she can not discuss personnel issues when this is clearly a public matter? I called her to see if Marcus and I could sit down and talk to her. She said she won’t without speaking to her advisors and school officials. Wow, and this is who we voted for? Parents, she can’t even talk to her constituents about important educational matters. She wouldn’t even sit and talk to us casually about the situation. I say, she’s out.
By Michael C. Springer
November 29, 2005 08:10 PM | Link to this
And I’ll have her and the rest of the board members know, ALL of Youngblood’s students will be above the age of 18 when the next election rolls around. Who do YOU think she will vote for?
Mr. Dummond, I can’t thank you enough for your support. Youngblood was an amazing teacher. But that is not the thing that counts. And I like the fact that you are defending the power of government and the rights of the people and teachers. We need everyone’s presence and support December 8th at the Gwinnett County School Board Meeting. Please be there and let’s turn this mess around. Marcus, myself, and everyone on behalf of Youngblood thank you all. Fight on!
By Deborah Lee
November 29, 2005 09:12 PM | Link to this
As a parent of a student who seemed to watch movies every day in language class ,I just can’t seem to even care that a man who throws on an R rated moved is getting the ax. For 8 years my son read THE WATSONS GO TO BIRMINGHAM and did a report. He never even knew who Elizabeth was, not that I really cared that he did. However, the fact that he read THE WATSONS WENT TO BIRMINGHAM every year tells me that that is the only thing the teachers were taught in college what to teach. I would bet that most teachers now don’t even know who Elizabeth is. My question is ,WHY DO THEY WATCH MOVIES AT ALL????
By jim dumond
November 29, 2005 09:54 PM | Link to this
I’ll see what I can do. I May need to do a bit of resheduling.
By Michael H. Smith
November 29, 2005 10:09 PM | Link to this
@ Springer
Can’t say for sure but Radloff seems to be following the district courtesy bit, which the B.o.C. often employs.
Your group definitely needs to hook-up with Mr. Dumond, as for me, I’ll be around with an impetus on the ’06 elections. Our opponents have money and power and will play dirty – get ready to rumble.
By Marcus Spencer
November 30, 2005 02:26 AM | Link to this
I never came across The Watsons Went to Birmingham in school. What school/schools did your son go to? haha jeez. The reason teachers show movies in schools is because it helps to entertain impatient, bored kids. How are we ever going to manage to get quality teachers back in school if there are parents who honestly don’t care if their children know who Elizabeth is? Ever hear of the Virgin Queen? Elizabeth was easily one of the most important rulers of western culture. She shaped the geopolitcal structure of Europe into what we know it as today. Well not November 30th but you know what I mean. If people honestly don’t care about learning our history, much less world history, we have a serious problem.
I saw a news report tonight that was about US History teachers across the nation complaining about how they are being forced to push out the time period between the American Revolution, and the Civil War, so that modern times can be taught more in depth. Are you kidding me? We barely remember where we came from today. We are going to lose our identity as Americans. If people don’t realize the importance of history and not repeating it then well…we have a very serious problem.
By Michael C. Springer
November 30, 2005 11:14 AM | Link to this
An impetus eh? Nice. Trust me, I will take time off from college to contribute as well. In my opinion, some of these B.o.E members are a little too traditional and are very much against students challenging authority when, if you think about it, they TEACH that in the schools: to question authority and to ensure the government is under control, the PEOPLE’s control.
By anon
November 30, 2005 03:33 PM | Link to this
Read the top story in the ajc online right now. Another Gwinnett County School story. This time a student fought back and won, it took years, the ACLU, and a very determined parent I am sure. Parents, students, community members, everyone needs to step up to the plate and demand a more open and receptive school leadership group than we have today. Micheal Smith - how do we get a hold of you to assist in the ‘06 election ?
By Michael C. Springer
November 30, 2005 05:15 PM | Link to this
Gosh it took years? Well, we are settling this dispute very soon or it will be settled in the ballots next year and in Radloff’s election. This is ridiculous. I have become very shocked at what the schools have transformed to being. Did you know that at Brookwood High School (and maybe others) teachers are REQUIRED to wear a shirt for their pictures. This county has become a prison system. This year, they have also purchased a computer software interface that monitors EVERYTHING ANYONE does. Teachers, students, anyone, are being watched. The keywords typed into Google to the things anyone types into Microsoft Word. Whenever Word pops up, it asks for the ID number of the user. It is absolutely ridiculous. They have come to control the students and it is absolutely pathetic. I am so glad I am graduating in May yet feel horribly sorry for those just entering the “system.”
By Michael C. Springer
November 30, 2005 05:16 PM | Link to this
Let me clarify and clean my bad english. At Brookwood, teachers are required to wear a certain specified shirt that each of them have been given. The way I said it was that all the teachers had to wear 1 shirt…a lot of teachers, just one shirt. Anyways…
By Michael H. Smith
November 30, 2005 06:37 PM | Link to this
By the way I’m not running for anything and I live in Mrs. Boyce’s district, you know, the only member to vote against firing Doc Nease? Needless to say her performance on that case took some courage…. No make that GUTS! But if any genuine common sense candidates emerge, which surely there will be, to run against Seckinger and McClure, you’ll not have to hunt me down ;)
To Marcus and Michael you guys are going about this the right way, work within the system, peacefully and non-violently, and remember eventually the system gets it right. Obey the rules until you can change them. The consensus from this blog, on this incidence is running about 50/50, however, a majority agreement can be seen in this: the punishment did not fit the offense.
PS.”Very clever man.” @Marcus: We are going to lose our identity as Americans. If people don’t realize the importance of history and not repeating it then well…we have a very serious problem.
By jim dumond
November 30, 2005 08:18 PM | Link to this
Speaking of the Doc incident.
That sorted itself out last Saturday didn’t it? Sleeping student jumps off sides and causes winning touchdown to be called back.
You gotta love it!
By Michael H. Smith
November 30, 2005 11:10 PM | Link to this
Seems his (this football players) sense of attentiveness hasn’t improved much, now has it?
Do you think Doc knew something about the important need for attentiveness throughout life the B.o.E. and J. Alvin have willfully neglected to learn?
No matter how good you are, even if you are considered the best of the bests, at some point in time the rules will apply to you.
By Michael H. Smith
December 1, 2005 01:08 AM | Link to this
Student in a Gwinnett County school was tested for alcohol, was not informed he had the right to refuse administration of the Breathalyzer Test in violation of the rules and “the students rights”. As reported by WSB-TV tonight.
What say ye O’ Noble B.o.E. and J. Alvin?